-Logzor
2500 Club Member
Outside of the Avast website there isn't a whole lot of information on this skimmer. I've been waiting to post this review in order to full assess its performance. I chose the "You-Build" version where I had to fully assemble the skimmer.
I'm running this on a 150g aquarium with lots of Acropora.
The Specs:
Tank Rating: 50-200 gallons
Footprint: 9"x10.75"
Height: 22.75", with Swabbie 25.5"
Diameter at Base 7.5"
Neck diameter: 3.75"
Collection Cup Diameter: 6"
Collection Cup Drain: Standard
Air Silencer: Standard
PSK1000 performance: 1100 lph @ 23w
For in sump use only. 3"-12" depth
The Build:
Overall the build was pretty straightforward. Took me several hours across two days to allow for curing of the various components. The hardest part is keeping the welding glue to come out consistently and at the right thickness. I had to go back and glue a couple parts because I didn't use enough glue. When in doubt use more than you think. The Avast instructional videos make it look a little too easy because they're not actually squeezing glue out when they those the assembly of the part.
It came out looking pretty nice. You cannot and will never notice all the minor imperfections from the do-it-yourself glue job. As you can see I chose to use their swabbie as well. In my opinion the swabbie is a must-have as it increase skimming capacity dramatically.
Adjustment:
This is the best part of this skimmer. It's easy to adjust using the turn knob you see in the image above. Here is a video the shows how the skimmer adjusts water pressure in the chamber. As you turn the knob the opening on the gear wheel tapers slightly.
I really disliked the the turn-pipe adjustment that most skimmers use. Long term they can get stuck making it very difficult to turn.
Performance:
With the swabbie the performance is awesome, skims like crazy on a daily basis and never slows down. The swabbie keeps gunk from building up in the neck which can impact performance. So far the Sicce pump is working great, I haven't had to dismantle it yet, though.
I'm running this on a 150g aquarium with lots of Acropora.
The Specs:
Tank Rating: 50-200 gallons
Footprint: 9"x10.75"
Height: 22.75", with Swabbie 25.5"
Diameter at Base 7.5"
Neck diameter: 3.75"
Collection Cup Diameter: 6"
Collection Cup Drain: Standard
Air Silencer: Standard
PSK1000 performance: 1100 lph @ 23w
For in sump use only. 3"-12" depth
The Build:
Overall the build was pretty straightforward. Took me several hours across two days to allow for curing of the various components. The hardest part is keeping the welding glue to come out consistently and at the right thickness. I had to go back and glue a couple parts because I didn't use enough glue. When in doubt use more than you think. The Avast instructional videos make it look a little too easy because they're not actually squeezing glue out when they those the assembly of the part.
It came out looking pretty nice. You cannot and will never notice all the minor imperfections from the do-it-yourself glue job. As you can see I chose to use their swabbie as well. In my opinion the swabbie is a must-have as it increase skimming capacity dramatically.
Adjustment:
This is the best part of this skimmer. It's easy to adjust using the turn knob you see in the image above. Here is a video the shows how the skimmer adjusts water pressure in the chamber. As you turn the knob the opening on the gear wheel tapers slightly.
I really disliked the the turn-pipe adjustment that most skimmers use. Long term they can get stuck making it very difficult to turn.
Performance:
With the swabbie the performance is awesome, skims like crazy on a daily basis and never slows down. The swabbie keeps gunk from building up in the neck which can impact performance. So far the Sicce pump is working great, I haven't had to dismantle it yet, though.
